Aircraft nose opening mechanism

ABSTRACT

An airplane preferably for carrying cargo, having a nose portion openable by a simple mechanism to fully uncover a front loading and unloading opening. The landing gear serves also to lock the nose portion in closed position.

United States Patent Spence 1 Apr. 4, 1972 [54] AIRCRAFT NOSE OPENING[56] References Cited MECHANISM UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor;William G. Spence, 2372 Wilson Avg 2,584,500 2/1952 Riordan ..49/254Montreal, Quebec, Canada 3,335,981 8/1967 Pauli et al. 244M 37 22]Filed: June 3, 1969 Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler AssistantExaminerSteven W. Weinrieb 2 0 [21] Appl No 8 9,9 8 Attorney-PierreLesperance ABS [52] U.S. Cl ..244/l37, 244/102, 244/118 [57] TRACT [51]Im. Cl ..B64d 9/00 n irpl preferably for y g g ing a n por- 58 Field ofSearch ..244/118, 137, 100, 102; tion openable by a simple mechanism tfully uncover a from 49/254 loading and unloading opening. The landinggear serves also to lock the nose portion in closed position.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 4 I972 //\/VENTOR Wllll'omGeorge SPENCE BY g AGENT AIRCRAFT NOSE OPENING MECHANISM The presentinvention relates to aircraft and, more particularly, to cargo carryingaircraft having an openable nose to enable front loading and unloadingof the aircraft to the full extent of the cross-sectional area of theinside of the fuselage.

The general object of the present invention resides in the provision ofan improved mechanism for opening and closing the nose portion of theaircraft, said mechanism enabling the nose portion to clear the edge ofthe fuselage opening during pivotal opening movement of the nose.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a mechanismof the character described, which enables to pivot the nose portion intoan open position in which it completely clears the fuselage loadingopening.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of mechanism ofthe character described, which takes up a minimum of space andconstitutes therefore minimum obstruction in the aircraft fuselageloading opening and which yet may be completely disposed inside thefuselage and nose portion to eliminate any drag along the aircraft skin.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of anaircraft of the character described, in which the front landing gearserves also as locking means for the nose portion to lock said noseportion in closed position.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will becomemore apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the front part of an aircraftshowing the nose portion in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a similar longitudinal section showing the nose portion inpartially open position; and

FIG. 3 is a similar longitudinal section showing the nose portion infully open position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate like elements throughout, reference numeral 1indicates the front portion of an aircraft fuselage provided with a nose2, which is openable so as to completely uncover the full cross-sectionarea of the front loading opening 3 of fuselage I, such that merchandiseand the like may be loaded into the fuselage through the front opening3.

The nose 2 is open at 4 and its rear edge 4' is adapted to abut againstthe edge 3 of the fuselage opening 3 in the closed position of the noseso as to form a butt joint. This joint is provided with suitable means,not shown, to render the same airtight.

In accordance with the invention, elongated links 5 are pivotallyconnected at 6 to the nose 2 inside thereof in the top portion of thenose and in points substantially equally transversely distant from themedian vertical plane of the aircraft, there being preferably two links5. Each link 5 extends inwardly within the fuselage I and is providedwith an elongated slot 7 receiving a pivot pin 8 rigidly secured to thefuselage 1 inside the latter near the top portion thereof. Each link 5has therefore a sliding and pivotable connection with the fuselage.

The fuselage is provided with an abutment 10 having two angular facesadapted to contact the link 5 in its two pivoted limit positions.

Actuating means are provided to open and close the nose. These actuatingmeans preferably consist in motor means, namely: a double actinghydraulic cylinder and piston unit 11 disposed below the respectivelinks 5 and pivoted inside the fuselage at 12 and at 14 to a bar 13which is rigidly secured to the nose 2 inside the same, said bar 13protruding rearwardly from the edge 4 ofthe the nose.

The lower portion of the fuselage is provided with a locating pin 15protruding from the edge 3' of the front opening 3 and adapted to entera socket 16 formed in the edge 4' of the nose 2.

Several locating pins 15 may be arranged along the mating edges of thefuselage and nose.

The aircraft in accordance with the invention comprises a front landinggear, generally indicated at 17, and including a strut 18 carrying atits outer end a landing wheel 19 and pivoted at 20 to the fuselage l,for movement in a vertical plane between a landing position, shown inFIG. 2, wherein the strut 18 is substantially perpendicular to the longaxis of the fuselage and protrudes downwardly from the fuselage bottomportion, and a retracted position in which the strut l8 protrudesforwardly of the fuselage front opening 3 and enters a recess 21 in thebottom portion of the nose 2 with the wheel 19 entirely located withinrecess 21. Thus, the strut 18 serves also as means for firmly lockingthe nose in closed position on the fuselage 1.

Additional conventional locking means may be also provided along thebutt joint between the nose and fuselage to lock the nose in firm closedposition.

In the closed position of the nose, the links 5 are retracted within thefuselage with the pivot pins 8 close to the front ends of the slots 7made in said links. The double-acting cylinder and piston units 11 arein retracted position.

To open the nose, the landing gear 17 must be in landing position, asshown in FIG. 2, to unlock the bottom portion of the nose. Operation ofthe cylinder and piston units 11 to extend the same, will first causeseparation of the top portions of the nose and fuselage, whereby thenose will pivot substantially about its bottom edge, that is its edgeremote from the links 5.

As shown in FIG.2, in this initial pivoting opening movement of thenose, the links 5 pivot slightly downwardly during their sliding forwardmovement with respect to the pivot pins 8 and, finally, come inengagement with the abutments 10 which prevent further downward pivotalmovement of the links 5. The links simultaneously slide forwardly untilthe pivot pins 8 abut against the rear ends of slots 7. Furtherextension movement of the hydraulic cylinder and piston units 11 willthen cause upward pivotal movement of the nose 2, with the links 5,which are now in their limit advanced position, pivoting upwardly aboutpivot pins 8 until the extensions 9 of the links 5 come into abutmentwith the stops 10. Thus, the links 5 can no longer pivot upwardly andfurther extension movement of the units 11 will cause full opening ofthe nose 2 until it reaches its fully open position shown in FIG. 3.

In this position, the nose is substantially at right angles to thefuselage and is disposed well above the top of the same, so as to clearcompletely the front opening 3 of the fuselage l for easy loading of thefuselage.

Release of the units 11 will initiate closing movement of the nose untilit attains the position shown in FIG. 2 with the locating pins 15engaging the sockets 16. Then, closing of the nose is completed byretracting power operation of the units 11.

Once the nose is closed, the conventional locking means are operated tofirmly close the nose and then, once the aircraft is airborne,retraction of the landing gear 17 will provide additional locking meansfor maintaining the nose in closed position. The links 5 enable the nosetop portion to clear the fuselage top portion at the butt joint duringopening and closing movements of the nose.

What I claim is:

1. In an aircraft having a fuselage with a front opening and an openablenose forming a closure for said front opening, a mechanism for openingsaid nose, said fuselage having a downwardly opening landing gearmounting recess in the lower portion thereof, adjacent said opening,said nose having a bottom portion provided with an external outwardlyopening wheel locking recess communicating with said landing gearmounting recess when said nose is in closed position against saidfuselage, a landing gear including a landing wheel carrying strutpivotally mounted into said landing gear mounting recess and arranged toengage into both said recesses when the nose is closed and the landinggear is retracted, and a landing wheel carried by said strut andconstructed and arranged to lockably engage into said external outwardlyopening wheel locking recess and forming a lock with said externaloutwardly opening wheel locking recess arranged to hold said noseagainst said fuselage to close said opening.

structed and arranged to displace said nose relative to said fuselagetowards and away from said aperture.

3. In an aircraft as claimed in claim 2, wherein said extensible motormeans are double-acting hydraulic cylinder and piston units.

1. In an aircraft having a fuselage with a front opening and an openAblenose forming a closure for said front opening, a mechanism for openingsaid nose, said fuselage having a downwardly opening landing gearmounting recess in the lower portion thereof, adjacent said opening,said nose having a bottom portion provided with an external outwardlyopening wheel locking recess communicating with said landing gearmounting recess when said nose is in closed position against saidfuselage, a landing gear including a landing wheel carrying strutpivotally mounted into said landing gear mounting recess and arranged toengage into both said recesses when the nose is closed and the landinggear is retracted, and a landing wheel carried by said strut andconstructed and arranged to lockably engage into said external outwardlyopening wheel locking recess and forming a lock with said externaloutwardly opening wheel locking recess arranged to hold said noseagainst said fuselage to close said opening.
 2. In an aircraft asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said mechanism includes links, each of saidlinks has a sliding and pivotable connection with said fuselage and apivotal connection with said nose, stop means is fixed on said fuselageand is arranged to be engaged by said links to limit pivoting movementthereof relative to said fuselage, extensible motor means pivotallyconnected to said fuselage and to said nose and constructed and arrangedto displace said nose relative to said fuselage towards and away fromsaid aperture.
 3. In an aircraft as claimed in claim 2, wherein saidextensible motor means are double-acting hydraulic cylinder and pistonunits.